YOLO (You Only Live Once) High School Pedestrian Safety Education Program

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

In Montgomery County, of people ages 10-29, teens aged 15-19 make up the largest percentage of pedestrians who are at fault in collisions. Teenagers 15-19 make up 51 percent of all underage pedestrian fatalities. To reduce the number of pedestrian crashes involving older teens in Montgomery County, MD as well as to raise awareness of the risks of distracted walking and other dangerous pedestrian behaviors, the YOLO High School Pedestrian Safety Campaign and Toolkit was created. YOLO, short for “You only live once,” is popular teen slang that essentially means “carpe diem.” It’s often used as a hashtag on Twitter and Instagram and usually refers to brash decisions without regard for consequences. However, when this tongue-in-cheek phrase is paired with visuals of deadly repercussions, it becomes an ominous warning of dangers on the road. It uses photographs of local Montgomery County teens to address the risks—and the ultimate consequence—of distracted walking. This initiative expanded upon a program started last year which encouraged students to create, design and implement their own pedestrian safety campaign at their school. The YOLO campaign goes one step further by suggesting specific ways to spread pedestrian safety awareness.